Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research? 

We are seeking a highly motivated and ambitious individual to join the research group of Professor Yenan Bryceson as a Postdoctoral Fellow to identify and mechanistically understand novel primary immunodeficiency diseases with susceptibility to viral infection, hyperinflammation, as well as cancer. Results can provide rationales for improved cellular therapies against cancer. Recent studies from our group on this subject include Chiang et al., Blood 2024, Zitti et al., Immunity 2023, Campbell et al. J Exp Med 2022, Kalinichenko et al., Blood 2021, Holmes et al., Science Immunology 2021.

Division

In the Bryceson group, you will be working in an international and interdisciplinary research environment, where collaborative efforts are encouraged and your development to scientific independence will be fostered. We constitute a multi-disciplinary group of experimentalists, lab technicians, computational biologists, developers, PhD students and researchers with different backgrounds. We always aim for an open and creative environment. The research group is based at the Center of Hematology and Regenerative Medicine (HERM). HERM consists of approximately 90 research fellows and is a nationally leading and internationally competitive environment for studies of the human immune system in the context of malignancies and immunodeficiency. As part of the Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, the center offers state-of-the art cell culture, molecular biology, flow cytometry and microscopy facilities.

To build a strong and creative research team, we are looking for high achievers from universities around the world. We will offer an intellectually stimulating environment and we look for talented people who will play a part in developing our next breakthrough ideas. Our aim is to promote independent researchers that will build their careers in science.

Duties

Previously considered rare diseases of infancy, primary immunodeficiencies are now viewed as more common, also explaining disease in children, adolescents, and adults. With high-throughput genetics, rare, potentially disease-causing variants can be uncovered. A major challenge is to understand how such variants may cause disease. The project will be focused on defects in cytotoxic lymphocytes as well as other hyperinflammatory syndromes with impaired lymphocyte development, differentiation, or function. Your aim will be to gain detailed insights to associations between specific genetic variants/mutations and immune function, allowing better diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering severe primary immunodeficiency disorders. A major focus of our lab is understanding gene regulation and identifying non-coding, disease-causing variants. The research group is internationally recognized in the field through a consistent track-record of high impact publications.

As a Bryceson lab member, you will apply and integrate high-throughput sequencing data to identify candidate disease-causing variants. You will develop model systems, e.g. genome-editing of immune or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) with specific patient-derived genetic variants. We aim to recruit an independent and motivated person who can set up and maintain workflows by implementing or adapting existing tools. Your efforts aim to map key molecular interactions that contribute to the disease pathogenesis of immunodeficiencies and to drive the development of precision medicine.

Entry requirements

Postdoctoral scholarships may be established for foreign researchers who pursue their postdoctoral research in Sweden. The purpose of scholarships for postdoctoral qualification is to promote internationalization and contribute to research qualification after a doctorate or equivalent.

A scholarship for carrying out postdoctoral research can be granted for a maximum of two years within a four year period following the receipt of a doctoral degree or equivalent.

To be eligible for a postdoctoral scholarship, the person must have obtained a doctorate or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a doctorate. Applicants who have not completed a doctorate at the end of the application period may also apply, provided that all requirements for a completed degree are met before the (intended) start date of the post doctoral education.

The head of the department determines whether their previous training and scholarly qualifications correspond to a Swedish doctorate or higher.

The applicant ideally has a strong background in molecular and cell biology. Experience with iPSC culture, modification, and differentiation will be considered a merit. Interests in programming, computational biology, and statistics as well as experience in analyses of high-dimensional data sets, e.g. high-throughput sequence and gene expression data analysis, will also be considered a merit.

Required skills:

• At least one first author publications in recognized peer-reviewed journal
• Documented experience with molecular biology methods
• Documented experience with cell culture and manipulation
• Expertise in R and foundations of statistics 
• Excellent communication skills and motivation to work collaboratively 
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects in parallel
• Proficiency in spoken and written English 

Desirable skills:

• Good knowledge of genetics and epigenetics
• Good understanding of immunology and/or hematopoiesis
• Experience with genome editing or cell transduction 
• Experience with induced pluripotent stem cell culture and differentiation
• Hands-on experience with cell sorting and advanced flow cytometry
• Firm knowledge in Linux environment and at least one programming language, such as Java Experience in data integration of gene data sets 
• Familiarity with tools for workflows and software development such as GitHub 

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Here, we conduct innovative medical research and provide the largest range of biomedical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Students and employees have free access to our modern gym facilities with trained staff on site.

Location: Flemingsberg

Type of scholarship

The amount is tax free and it is set for twelve months at a time, paid out on a six months basis. In exceptional cases, shorter periods may be acceptable.

Application process

An application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

• A complete curriculum vitae, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
• A complete list of publications
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)

The application is to be submitted on the Varbi recruitment system.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all

1. Balbir Dhuper, HR-partner, [email protected]
2. Yenan Bryceson, recruiting manager, [email protected]

1. Belinda Pannagel, SACO, [email protected]
2. Mari Gilljam, OFR, [email protected]
3. Peter Svensson, SACO, [email protected]